Review: Blythewood by Carol Goodman

Blythewood by Carol Goodman
Series: Blythewood #1
Published by Penguin
Published on: October 8th, 2013
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 489
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

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At seventeen, Avaline Hall has already buried her mother, survived a horrific factory fire, and escaped from an insane asylum. Now she’s on her way to Blythewood Academy, the elite boarding school in New York’s mist-shrouded Hudson Valley that her mother attended—and was expelled from. Though she’s afraid her high society classmates won’t accept a factory girl in their midst, Ava is desperate to unravel her family’s murky past, discover the identity of the father she’s never known, and perhaps finally understand her mother’s abrupt suicide. She’s also on the hunt for the identity of the mysterious boy who rescued her from the fire. And she suspects the answers she seeks lie at Blythewood.

But nothing could have prepared her for the dark secret of what Blythewood is, and what its students are being trained to do. Haunted by dreams of a winged boy and pursued by visions of a sinister man who breathes smoke, Ava isn’t sure if she’s losing her mind or getting closer to the truth. And the more rigorously Ava digs into the past, the more dangerous her present becomes.

Vivid and atmospheric, full of mystery and magic, this romantic page-turner by bestselling author Carol Goodman tells the story of a world on the brink of change and the girl who is the catalyst for it all.

AGAIN! Another amazing book that just blew me away. It has been a while since I’ve read a book and I just could not think about anything else but finding out what was going to happen next, and this book did that to me. There is SO much more to this story than what you read in the synopsis, things I wasn’t expecting that made me love it even more.

This story takes place in the 1900’s, which I couldn’t tell by reading the synopsis, but I loved it! I’m not one that will usually pick a book to read that takes place in “times long ago”, but this story totally pulled me in and kept me interested from page one. Avaline Hall and her mother were always moving from place to place. Her mother was trying to hide her from someone who wanted to hurt her. He is the Shadow Master and he wanted to get rid of Avaline because she is a Chime Child, she was born exactly at midnight, and not only that but she is supposed to be the most powerful one yet, and is told she is the only one who can defeat the shadows. After Avaline’s mother dies she finds out what she really is, her mother had been hiding it from her her whole life. Not only was her mother trying to keep her hidden from the Shadow Master but also Avalines grandmother, her own mother, too. Her grandmother wants her to attend the school she is destined to go to, Blythewood Academy. And it’s not a school for normal girls. This school is for girls who have the potential to fight the Faeries. YES!! I was so excited when I read this and found out this book is all about the Fae. The woods surrounding Blythewood are full of all kinds of Fae creatures; Goblins, Lampsprites, Darklings. And of course, the door to Faerie is out there and anyone who steps through, usually never comes back.

I felt Raven’s hand slip beneath mine, cradling my hands just as my hand cradled the teacup. Suddenly my hand felt just as fragile as the delicate china, and my body as hollow. His other hand splayed over the cup, fingertips resting lightly on its rim.
“Look into the cup,” he said, his voice a husky purr next to my ear. “This is our story.”

The teachers at Blythewood believe that all Faerie creatures are evil and only want to hurt them. Avaline and her two roommates, Helen and Daisy, soon find out otherwise. Avaline meets a Darkling, his name is Raven, and he saves her a few times when others were trying to hurt her. She finds out that Darklings, are pretty much fallen angels, and there is a whole story to why they are stuck where they are, but you’ll have to read it to find out! The girls discover a lot of things about some teachers at Blythewood and who they really are. There is so much that happens in this book I don’t think I could cover it all in just a few paragraphs, but this is definitely a book worth purchasing! And come on, the cover is BEAUTIFUL! I can be a cover snob sometimes and anytime I see a pretty cover I’m instantly drawn to it. This story is so magical and breath taking and suspenseful and just down right brilliant! It’s only February and I can already say that this is the best book I will read all year. It’s so good, I’ll have a hard time finding something that can top it! Yes, it’s Young Adult, but the only thing that makes it feel YA is that its at a “high school” and the main character is a teenager. This story is not in any way juvenile, it doesn’t feel like your reading a YA book. You’d be really missing out on a magical book if you don’t take a chance and read it!

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